Hunter Biden has agreed to sit for a deposition before the House Oversight Committee on February 28, the committee has announced. His testimony could be a high water mark for the more than year-long investigation into allegations of corruption in the Biden family and tee up President Biden’s  impeachment. 

The younger Mr. Biden has long resisted appearing for the closed-door deposition, where he will be questioned by skilled committee lawyers. The president’s son had instead insisted on only appearing publicly before the Oversight panel. During public hearings, members tend to grandstand with meandering statements and Mr. Biden would have Democratic committee members there to defend him.

Impeachment investigators have been probing Mr. Biden’s business affairs as well as those of his uncle, James. Both men spent years selling the illusion of access to President Biden to reap millions of dollars in consulting fees from foreign and domestic partners. The younger Mr. Biden’s deals with entities in Ukraine and Communist China are of particular interest to GOP investigators. 

Republicans are attempting to find proof of the president acting in his official capacity to help his son’s and brother’s partners. The elder Mr. Biden on more than 20 occasions called into meetings to exchange pleasantries, and also had lunch with his son’s clients. Republicans have yet to prove that the elder Mr. Biden made policy decisions designed to benefit his son’s clients, or that he took bribes, as has been alleged by an unnamed confidential human source to the FBI. 

“We have a lot of questions,” Mr. Comer tells the Sun. “There are specific transactions that are very concerning to us. We don’t know exactly what his family did to receive tens of millions of dollars from our enemies around the world. We’re very concerned that the President of the United States could be compromised because of his family’s shady business scheme.”

When asked what he wants to ask Hunter Biden about, the chairman says he wants to discuss his limited liability companies — which Mr. Comer calls shell companies — that Mr. Biden used to receive money from his foreign clients, and the transactions he had with foreign business partners. 

The committee also announced that it will hear testimony from other Biden family associates, including business partners Rob Walker, Mervyn Yan, Eric Schwerin, and Tony Bobulinski. 

A former Biden family business associate, Mr. Bobulinski has publicly alleged in media interviews that the president personally profited from his son’s business affairs. 

The president’s brother has been subpoenaed by the committee but has yet to appear. Mr. Comer tells the Sun that his staff is in communication with his lawyers about a future appearance. 

The younger Mr. Biden has made a number of dramatic appearances on Capitol Hill in recent weeks to stare down his antagonists. First, he showed up outside the Senate side of the complex in December to say he would not appear for a deposition, but only for a public hearing. Then, after being threatened with contempt of Congress, Mr. Biden showed up unannounced at an Oversight Committee hearing where members were debating that contempt resolution. 

“I’m here today to acknowledge that I have made mistakes in my life and wasted opportunities and privileges I have been afforded,” Mr. Biden said. “For that, I am responsible. For that, I am accountable. For that, I am making amends.”

“For six years, I have been the target of the unrelenting Trump attack machine, shouting ‘Where’s Hunter?’” an adding “Here’s my answer: I am here.”